Noise levels
Noise levels were measured with an Extech 407727 Digital Sound Level meter 1" from the drives at idle and under an HD Tach seek load.

The Barracuda 7200.8 isn't any quieter than the 7200.7, especially under a seek load. Note that the DiamondMax 10 is almost three decibels quieter under load.

Power consumption
Power consumption was measured for the entire system, sans monitor, at the outlet. I used the same idle and load environments as the noise level tests.

Power consumption is pretty close, especially under load. Despite the drive's specs, the 7200.8's power consumption at idle is actually higher than its predecessor.